For the third year in a row, online coverage of U SPORTS championships set new records. The broadcasting model combines the best of traditional television with the flexibility of digital sports broadcasting and the availability of bilingual content.

During the 2023-24 season, online viewership of U SPORTS championships increased by 20% compared to 2022-23. Audiences across Canada watched more than one million U SPORTS championship streams on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms (CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, CBC Sports app, CBC Sports YouTube, Radio-Canada.ca/Sports and ICI TOU.TV).

U SPORTS partnered with TVA Sports, the organisation's official French television partner, to deliver record-breaking coverage of the 2024 GreenShield U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8 gold medal game and the 2024 GFL U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship Final presented by Connect Energy. 

The men's basketball game between Université Laval and Queen's University broke the previous French single-game audience record by 59%. Concordia's gold medal win over the University of Toronto was the most watched U SPORTS women's hockey game in France with an average of 26,424 2+ viewers.

"U SPORTS has worked with our media partners TVA Sports, CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports, as well as iSi Live and Live U, to provide our student-athletes with the best exposure of any amateur sports organisation in the country," said John Bower, Director of Marketing and Communications for U SPORTS. 

The online audience is on the rise. GETTY IMAGES
The online audience is on the rise. GETTY IMAGES

"Fans can watch our championships on any screen, anywhere in Canada or around the world, thanks to our focus on digital delivering. We meet consumers where they are. That's why our exposure has grown so much in the last three years," said Bower. 

U SPORTS has also adopted an innovative broadcasting model. It combines the best of traditional television with the flexibility of digital sports broadcasting. U SPORTS broadcasts will be available in Canada's two official languages. They will feature bilingual graphics and content.

The 2023-24 U SPORTS championship will air on TVA Sports and stream on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms, and will be produced by Production Axis (women's rugby, men's basketball), Bamboo Shoots (track and field, women's hockey), Station 14 Productions (women's soccer, men's volleyball), eThere Live (women's volleyball).

MediaPro (football games and Vanier), MediaPro (football games and Vanier Cup), NovaStream Productions (men's football), Scratch Takes Productions (swimming), Gryphons Vision (University of Guelph - wrestling), Western Mustangs TV (cross country), University of Alberta Athletics (women's basketball) and RTA Media School at TMU (men's hockey).

CBC Sport accompanies U SPORT. GETTY IMAGES
CBC Sport accompanies U SPORT. GETTY IMAGES

Highlights for the 2023-24 season include French and English broadcasts of the 2024 University Cup, produced by students in the Sports Broadcasting programme at Ryerson University's RTA School of Media. French digital broadcasts increased by 42.3% in 2022-23. This was the first year of the new partnership with Radio-Canada Sports.

Viewership of women's sports increased by 53% in 2022-23, with new records set in all three winter team sport championships (basketball, hockey, volleyball).

Online audience records were set for the following championships:

- U SPORTS Women's Final 8 Basketball (+38% vs. 2022-23).

- U SPORTS University Cup Men's Hockey (+9%).

- U SPORTS Men's Football Championship (+16%).

- U SPORTS Swimming Championships (+114%).

- U SPORTS Athletics World Championships (+98%).

- U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship (+81%).

- U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship (+32%).

- U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship (+80%).

- U SPORTS Wrestling Championships (+17%).

The aim is to combine the traditional model with digital platforms. GETTY IMAGES
The aim is to combine the traditional model with digital platforms. GETTY IMAGES

Beginning in the 2024-25 season, TVA Sports will begin a new three-year exclusive French soccer agreement that will allow the network to televise select matches from the U SPORTS National Championship.

CBC Sports will also provide exclusive English-language coverage of the 2024 Vanier Cup from Kingston, Ontario on November 23 and the men's and women's gold medal games of the U SPORTS Final 8 basketball tournament from Vancouver on March 16, 2025. 

The U SPORTS championships will continue to be broadcast exclusively in English on CBC Sports' digital platforms (CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, CBC Sports app and CBC Sports YouTube). At the same time, Radio-Canada Sports on Radio-Canada.ca/Sports and ICI TOU.TV will broadcast French digital streams of U SPORTS championships (excluding football).